Eighty Ninety – Happier

By starrymag | October 26, 2020

By: Maddie Rae

 

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) We find these days that we are most influenced by our collaborators. We worked with an incredible co-writer/producer Gian Stone on our new EP – his creativity is uninhibited; his technical process is meticulous and his work ethic is unmatchable. He’s become a real influence on both our sound and the way we approach the whole process of making a record.

 

Q) Please tell us the message behind your song “Happier.”

 

A) “Happier” was the last song we recorded for our upcoming EP — we made it over zoom from separate quarantines. We were feeling lonely, isolated and missing the people we cared about. “Happier” is about how difficult it can be to be apart from someone – even if on some level you know it’s the right thing.

 

Q) What kind of fan feedback have you received to the track?

 

A) People have been so kind about the song — and it always means so much when someone tells us that they can relate to a song we’ve made, or that it’s helped them through a harder time. That’s really the whole point for us!

 

Q) Talk about working with producer Gian Stone on the song.

 

A) Before this EP hadn’t ever collaborated with an outside producer or writer before — but we gelled with him immediately. He helped stretch and expand the sonic and emotional spaces of our music in ways that are very exciting to us. It’s easily one of the best experiences we’ve had as a band so far.

 

Q) Do you plan on doing a lyric or music video for “Happier?”

 

A) Yes! You can see some of the lyric videos we’ve already made for “Happier” @eightyninety8090 on Instagram. We will definitely be making more videos as we release the EP.

 

Q) What message do you want to send your fans through the single and music in general?

 

A) We really want to make music that can be there for people when they need it, like it is for us.

 

Q) Will there be a full album or EP coming in the near future?

 

A) Yes! “Happier” is the first song off of an EP.

 

Q) What first inspired you two to start creating music together?

 

A) We are brothers and so we grew up playing music together. We started in punk bands and ended up…Well, not so much punk anymore. [laughs] We formed Eighty Ninety after we moved to New York. Harper was working in a studio so we started writing and producing songs during our free time at night.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collab with on a song?

 

A) Taylor!!

 

Q) What is the process like when you decide to sit down and start writing?

 

A) It changes song to song. Sometimes a melody will come into your head, or a phrase, and you can just feel if there’s a whole song connected to it. Or maybe you’re not sure. But the song comes when you sit down and start pulling at that idea to see how much of it there is, if that makes sense.

 

Q) What is something you hope to accomplish in your career?

 

A) Is it ok to give the same answer twice? [laughs] Collab with Taylor!

 

Q) What was your reaction to Taylor Swift adding one of your songs to her playlist?

 

A) In case you haven’t figured it out yet…we are huge Taylor Swift fans (Abner once saw her two nights in a row in 2010) so we couldn’t believe it. Still can’t, honestly. Her writing is so authentic and powerful, but also so relatable and human and universal — it feels like home, if that makes sense. The idea of Taylor jamming to Eighty Ninety is completely and utterly mind blowing.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who are fans and supporters of you and your music?

 

A) First, thank you for making this possible. There’s no way to say that without sounding cliché, but it’s true and it’s important so we say it anyway. Second, there’s a lot more music coming soon, promise!

 

 

Stream/Purchase “Happier”:
https://ffm.to/happier8090